Saint of the week
Friday, October 18, 2024
Father Oscar prays for this person at every Mass because he has felt personally blessed by him twice in his life during times of great sickness. He was also baptized in Isnotu, the village he is from, to pay homage to this man and all of his good works.
Blessed José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros “Doctor of the Poor”.
José Gregorio Hernández Cisneros was born on October 26, 1864, in Isnotú, a small village in the state of Trujillo in the Venezuelan Andes. The oldest of seven children, his mother was a housekeeper; his father sold pharmaceuticals and livestock. When he was 13, he expressed his desire to attend law school, but his mother convinced him to study medicine. He, therefore, went to Caracas to study: first at a prestigious academy and then at the medical school of the Universidad Central de Venezuela (UCV), where he was considered a brilliant student.
After graduating in 1888, he received a grant from the Venezuelan government to pursue studies in Europe under prominent experts. There, he delved into histology, bacteriology, and pathology. Returning to Venezuela in 1893, he founded chairs in those subjects at the UCV while practicing at a teaching hospital. He authored numerous scientific and medical research works and some literary essays.
Besides his impressive academic and professional contributions, Dr. Hernández deepened his Catholic faith, becoming a Secular Franciscan at the Capuchin church in Caracas in 1899. He attempted to study for the priesthood twice, but his delicate health forced him to withdraw from the seminary.
Dr. José Gregorio became especially wellknown for his selfless labor for the sick during the great influenza epidemic of 1918. He became known in Caracas as the “doctor of the poor,” often buying medicines for them out of his pocket. He met his death on June 29, 1919, accidentally struck by one of the few automobiles in Caracas at the time when he was out obtaining drugs to treat an elderly poor woman.
There was a tremendous outpouring at his death, and popular devotion to him in Venezuela and other countries has only increased.
Beatification: His beatification took place on April 30, 2021, in Caracas, Venezuela.
Feast Day: His Feast Day falls on October 26th.
Patronage: Medical students, Diagnosticians, Doctors, and Medical patients.